Google Fusion - Orkut Whiteboard
Orkut trails MySpace in terms of number of registered users and number of unique visitors. There are many reasons that can be attributed to the phenomenal growth of MySpace as compared to Orkut even though both debuted at roughly the same time. Orkut started as a invitation only social networking website, a restriction not put in place by MySpace on new registrants. Orkut was never really promoted by Google. Google does not overtly promote its products the way Yahoo! does and Orkut never showed up on Google Labs a primary interface for showcasing new ideas. So if you didn't have friends who were on Orkut, you wouldn't even know of its existence let alone register. I joined Orkut about 3 years ago, the website had basic social networking features (photo album, message boards, community), a simple interface that didn't seem to be evolving! If I am not mistaken most new features have been added in the last year. Features that especially stand out are reply to scrap and new scrap notification through GTalk. Someone in Google has finally realized the hidden potential of Social Networking Websites. I am sure more new features are already on drawing boards and keeping people busy.
Here's my contribution. Its not rocket science, just a manifestation of my requirements from Orkut. I don't use MySpace or any other social website for that matter and don't know if they have a similar feature, though I would be surprised if they did.
Orkut Whiteboard
A social networking website is primarily intended to help people stay connected. It brings together people who have similar interests through online groups such as Orkut Communities. The next step is being able to share information with your friends easily and quickly about important and interesting things online. Enter Orkut Whiteboard. User's can exchange information and collaborate online using the whiteboard. Think of the Orkut Whiteboard as a combination of Delicious and Orkut Scrapbook. Here is how I see it being used.
Here's my contribution. Its not rocket science, just a manifestation of my requirements from Orkut. I don't use MySpace or any other social website for that matter and don't know if they have a similar feature, though I would be surprised if they did.
Orkut Whiteboard
A social networking website is primarily intended to help people stay connected. It brings together people who have similar interests through online groups such as Orkut Communities. The next step is being able to share information with your friends easily and quickly about important and interesting things online. Enter Orkut Whiteboard. User's can exchange information and collaborate online using the whiteboard. Think of the Orkut Whiteboard as a combination of Delicious and Orkut Scrapbook. Here is how I see it being used.
- It will appear as a link on a user's Orkut home page just like album, lists, and scrapbook.
- When a user is viewing an item online such as a news link on Google News, a video on YouTube, a text or image search result on Google, or a blog on Blogger they should be able to whiteboard (used as a verb here) the item. Users should be able to link the item on their Orkut whiteboards with comments and tags so that friends can also view them. This is the Delicious part. Friends can then leave comments on the each others whiteboards on what they thought of the link. Think Orkut Scrapbook.
- Users can scribble thoughts on their whiteboards and notify friends. Or they can leave messages on their whiteboards, such as 'On Vacation' which would otherwise require sending emails or leaving scraps to selected friends.
- The Google Calendar can be integrated with the Whiteboard and users can mark events on the Whiteboard through the Calendar.
- Users can link items on their friends whiteboards on their own whiteboards.
posted by sleeplessinCMU at 10:55 AM
7 Comments:
Interesting observation. My thoughts on Google were that it is creating a lock in effect when it comes to its products, treading the same path as MS did in 1990's using the office suite. If data from Social networking could be coupled with search pattern of the user, then it could potentially lead to a more targeted ad volume which could infact be more profitable.
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Srini's application of recently learnt econ is in the right line of thought - Google has become a platform now and intentionally so!
In fact, if you see this old video of 2003/2004, they had already made their plans clear - http://mccd.udc.es/orihuela/epic/ols-master.html
However, in the analysis in the post has some timeline information missing here ....
Orkut was bought by Google. It wasn't a Google product from the start - so there are architectural issues there.
Google only showcases its original products (not necessarily in-house but the products which are with Google before hitting the market)
Besides...
MySpace had first mover advantage.
MySpace had network effects on its side with US population ( Orkut has it with South American and Indian users)- for instance, I've got nothing but US contacts on MySpace and nothing but desi/southamerican contacts on orkut.
US population is more adept and inclined to use the Internet vis-a-vis places such as India - hence, MySpace has bigger no. of hits.
More revenue generation for myspace comes from the fact that
1. They've got higher US marketshare
2. US population spends far more.
The product of this makes them commercially far more successful than anyone else.
Google is trying to create synergistic help for orkut to become popular. However, getting over network effects created by MySpace is difficult. This is similar to AAPL having great products in personal computing space but their inability to get over MSFT's network effects and hence, AAPL getting into media and convergence - playing a different game altogether.
Google is busy with getting google on cellphones and providing lat/long details to advertisers for focussed advertising and keeping AdSense revenues rolling. They are going to push cellphones to get as advanced as possible -( iPhone - they want such phones :))
Bottomline is:
Google has too many components to manage in its portfolio and this is just one of them - the amount of resources they will contribute to this will be based on their perception of returns this can generate.
@Srini
I agree with you. Another interesting way to leverage products.
@Manik
A correction
Orkut was not bought by Google but was an in house project. Please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orkut.
Yes, there were claims by another firm over the code, but even if Orkut brought code from his previous company he wrote it again with new code at Google. So the architecture issue does not arise in case of Orkut. But you raise an interesting point about architecture, even if we keep Youtube out of this, integrating Orkut and Google News should not be a problem.
I agree that moving to cellphonese is the next big thing. But I dont agree that the battle for internet through laptops/desktops is over. There is no comparison between MySpace and Orkut (again, acknowledged in the post), but I dont agree that the competition between MySpace and Orkut can be compared to Apple and MS. The lock-in effects are not the same. You have accounts with both, and so do a lot of people, its just so easy to create and maintain these web pages. Its not the same with multiple OS!
Google has a lot of components,and yes they are a platform. I merely point to a way in which Google could leverage their existing products.
@SleeplessinCMU:
As Eric Schmidt says, in these business models (2.0) you are not looking for a market share - you are looking for the whole market :). My note never mentioned about a lock-in. However, it did mention about network-effects. There's a difference between the two. Users do not have any cost to switch loyalties to another provider as it is free - hence, no lock-in. However, the other network will become beneficial only if there are ample of friends there :)
Orkut writing the code for them is true - however, there were architectural issues with orkut right from the start - there was a nice documentary on this and I cannot locate it at the URL it was present at earlier (may be the big Bro GooG is watching ...LOL). As it mentioned, Google would've loved to snatch away the marketshare from MySpace but the core architectural issue let them down. Thus, the question of architecture does arise.
Integrating almost any 2 softwares is possible but will they work together in best possible way? Frequent downtimes in orkut was a result of this heterogeneous integration not going well.
Idea about leveraging products is good. However, the existing products are leveraged only if there is a perception of significant revenue generation vis-a-vis the resources consumed. For instance, Intel had to let go its memory business to catch up with the exploding and high-margin microprocessor business in the early 80s. Similarly, if GooG is busy doing greater things - this may take a backseat.
Overall, a neatly written blogpost. I just wanted to provide supplemental information to it.
@Manik
My bad, I skimmed that paragraph. Nonetheless, I am not sure about what you mean by 'greater things'. I consider cell phones as just a delivery medium. I believe integration is vital irrespective of the delivery platform. Google can run into same issues on cellphones as they did on Internet through desk/lap tops.
Anyway...You make raise some interesting points, lets continue this discussion offline. May be we can post the conclusion of the discussion on either of our blogs
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